1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a low inserting force connector which comprises a male connector and a female connector to be engaged and disengaged by moving a pair of sliders in opposite direction with a low force.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 9 shows an example of the low inserting force connector of the prior art.
This low inserting force connector comprises a connector casing 75, a connector housing 76 slidable inside the connector casing 75 in the connector engagement direction, and a slider 77 inserted from the outside of the connector casing 75 in the center of the connector housing 76 in a direction perpendicular to the connector engagement direction.
The slider 77 is provided with a cam groove (not shown), and the connector housing 76 is provided with a stopper protrusion to be engaged with the cam groove. By pushing the slider 77, the stopper protrusion moves along the cam groove, and the connector housing 76 is then engaged with a mating connector (not shown) inside the connector casing 75 with a low force.
In the above structure, however, there is a large dead space 78 inside the connector housing 76, due to the slider 77 being situated in the center of the connector housing 76. As a result, the number of terminal receiving chambers 79 is reduced by the space 78. If extra terminal receiving chambers are added outside, the size of the connector housing 76 becomes too large. This also makes the shape of the connector housing 76 more complicated, and workability in resin molding to form the connector housing 76 deteriorates accordingly.
To solve those problems, a low inserting force connector shown in FIG. 10 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-319271.
This low inserting force connector comprises a female connector housing having male terminals (not shown) protruding inward, a slider 82 provided with a pair of sliding plates 81 and 81' to be inserted into the female connector housing 80, a connector casing 83 to be inserted into the female connector housing 80, and a male connector housing 84 to be engaged with the connector casing 83.
The sliding plates 81 and 81' are provided with cam grooves 85 and 85', and the connector casing 83 is provided with stopper protrusions 86 and 86' to be engaged with the cam grooves 85 and 85'. The male connector housing 84 is engaged with the connector casing 83, the slider 82 is inserted into the female connector housing 84, the connector casing 83 is initial-engaged with the female connector housing 80, and the female connector housing 80 and the male connector housing 84 are then engaged with each other by pushing the slider 84 with a low force.
In this example, the sliding plates 81 and 81' are situated on both sides of the female connector housing 80, instead of in the center of it. This allows more space for terminals 87 and reduces the dead space. Also, the connector housings 80 and 84 can be simplified, and workability in resin molding can be improved.
However, since the pair of sliding plates 81 and 81' are inserted in the same direction, the insertion force acts on the connector housing 80 and the connector casing 83 in the same direction, often resulting in dislocation or tilt of the connector housings 80 and 84 or the sliding plates 81 and 81'. Also, it is difficult to produce the sliding plates 81 and 81' by resin molding, and the manufacturing cost of the slider 82 becomes high accordingly. Further, the handling portion 88 used to push and pull the slider 82 considerably protrude outward, which makes the connector too large in the longitudinal direction and the slider 82 obstructive to other objects. Pushing and pulling the slider 82 also makes the connector engagement and disengagement operations more troublesome and complicated.